LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (08/17/97)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mc Donald's "comfort factor"

Dear Editor:

In her "Letter from Ukraine" (July 6) columnist Marta Kolomayets writes: "There's a certain comfort factor for me in the fact that McDonald's has finally arrived in Ukraine." She's right to point out that McDonald's restaurants usually have good bathroom facilities and good bathrooms are urgently needed in Ukraine. (Daily life would improve dramatically if flush toilets and running water were available in every dwelling both in the city and in the countryside, and it is difficult to understand why this problem generates so little discussion amongst reformers and commentators.) But I suspect that McDonald's is not in business to provide washroom facilities.

"The Golden Arches are a reassuring symbol," continues the writer, "that things are all right in this world." I wish that I could share in Ms. Kolomayets' enthusiasm.

Ronald McDonald (heir apparent to that other icon of "American culture," Mickey Mouse) is the symbol of consumer culture, as well as the conformity it encourages. And the Big Mac is the sacred object that the public relations specialists of the McDonald's corporation offer up as the Holy Grail. John Ralston Saul has appropriately pointed out that "the Big Mac is not big" at all. It is laced with salt and grease. The bun is inedible unless it is warm. It's a mediocre hamburger at best. (Buckwheat, yogurt, cabbage, garlic and borsch, etc., as any dietitian will tell you, are better for long-term health. The challenge of course, is to make sure that fresh good food is available for everyone in Ukraine.

With a new McDonald's outlet opening up somewhere in the world every day, it's inevitable that McDonald's would finally come to Kyiv. Yes, young Ukrainians are "looking to a future that will provide them with the same kind of comforts we have in the West." But I suspect many Ukrainians have already seen why the McDonald's corporation is in Ukraine. It is there for profit, and this profit, alas, is built on selling illusions.

Fran Ponomarenko
Montreal

Ukraine's teachers express gratitude

Dear Editor:

We are 15 English language teachers from different cities of Ukraine, the national winners of the program "United States - Ukraine Awards for Excellence in Teaching."

The program is administered by the American Council for Collaboration in Education and Language Study (ACCELS) in partnership with the United States Embassy in Ukraine and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. The program is sponsored by the United States Information Agency.

The goals of the program are to recognize and honor talented secondary school teachers of English and American studies, to promote the development of innovative teaching methodology in languages and area studies, and to promote the development of direct contacts between teachers and schools in the United States and Ukraine.

We are finishing our seven-week professional development seminar at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del., and think that the program was extremely fruitful and useful both for us and for our American colleagues.

This program became possible through the efforts of many people both in America and Ukraine, and we would like to express our gratitude to them: Ambassador Richard Morningstar, U.S. Department of State; Bob Persiko, USIA; Dr. Dan Davidson, Kevin Spenlsey, Kristen Freeman of ACTR/ACCELS; Ivanna Reed, Natalia Viatkina, and Marina Canales of ACCELS Kyiv Office; Baerbel Schumacher, Jeanette Miller, Marie Gleason of the University of Delaware.

We were provided with host families - intelligent, kind and hospitable people - whom we would like to thank for the opportunity to visit their homes and spend weekends with them.

We would like to express our thanks also to the organization People to People. Due to the efforts of Hanna Zhyruk from People to People, one of our group was lucky enough to meet her cousins - Yaroslava Gudziy and Michael Gudziy - for the first time in her life after 23 years of searching. So, we would like to give our personal thanks to: Kathleen M. Meyer and Floyd Ho, of People to People; Donald and Loretta Whiteley, Julia and Orysia Tresznewski, Hanna Zhyruk, Yaroslava Gudziy, Linda and Don Krug, Ginnie Marzpuca, Marie Turadian, Tia Mukergi, Nancy and Lyle Hartman, and Svyatoslav and Irina Billon.

Best regards from the teachers from Ukraine.

Aleksandr Chebotaryov, Tatyana Bondar, Vladimir Kolomarov, Volodymyr Ostapchuk, Irina Sverdlova, Alla Kornylo, Olena Franchuk, Irina Lobarchuk, Larisa Reshetnik, Igor Yakushev, Zoya Gulko, Olga Khaikina, Irina Miroshnichenko, Larisa Shishkina, Valeria Yanina
Newark, Del.

Medical association cites contributions

Dear Editor:

The World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations (WFUMA) would like to acknowledge the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) for its generous contribution to medical education in Ukraine. The AAOS donated books, videotapes and slides, and offered its respected Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons to medical universities in Ukraine at a reduced subscription price. The AAOS is also including Ukraine in its overseas medical program.

The WFUMA is especially grateful for the friendly and understanding attitude of the staff of the academy to present problems in Ukraine. Donated publications and videotapes were exhibited at the Sixth Congress of the World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations in Odesa and also at the annual meeting of Orthopedic Surgeons in Kyiv in September 1996. Ukrainian physicians expressed great interest in the exhibited material.

The World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations hereby thanks the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons for its generous donations and friendly cooperation.

Dr. B. Zaricznyj
Grosse Pointe, Mich.

Editorial accurately reflected meeting

Dear Editor:

We offer some observations on the editorial "Purpose and humility" (July 20). The wonderfully written editorial describes the meeting of representatives of the diaspora with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma as it actually happened. To write such an editorial required serious thought, so that the community could know the truth and how not to organize such meetings. The soul becomes uneasy as one reads about the chaos and lack of organization, lack of preparation on the part of the public to pose short, well-developed questions.

A consequence of such a situation is that the authority of the president is diminished and the organizer's intended goal is not met. This is not the first time there has been such disorder in receiving key leaders from Ukraine. A question arises: does our diaspora learn from its mistakes? Or maybe our unhealthy ambition does not allow for criticism.

Next to the editorial is a photograph of President Kuchma. From his expression, it is possible to easily read his thoughts: "Where am I ?!" Just a short time before he had found himself among American government leaders, as well as in meetings with political leaders of other countries, where constraint and respect prevail. Among us, poorly thought-through, unimportant, primitive questions fly forth, as though released from a sack. It appears as though these individuals are showing off how they can teach the president, while forgetting about propriety.

It's a shame to waste time on these frequent and pointless meetings that are not useful for anybody, in fact, they are just the opposite: harmful. They are becoming too proletarian, take time for important matters away from the president, and unnecessarily waste the energy of the public. Why not conduct so-called "quiet diplomacy" (which is used by many countries) in which a small group of people participate? However, here too it is necessary to have knowledgeable and informed people.

We are grateful to the editors of The Ukrainian Weekly for their courage to speak out in the face of a taboo. The community wants to know the truth.

On a final note, we would like to paraphrase Cicero's words to Catiline: ("Quo usque tandem abiture catallina patientia nostra?"): how long will our community continue to sit on its compost heap in love with itself not taking a single step forward?

Can it be that more than half a century in this land has taught us nothing? A pity.

Discourse Club (Klub Besida): Oleksander Motyl, Ulana Lubowycz, Juriy Kostiw, Lubomyr Humeniuk, Jaroslaw Pastuszenko, Roman Rohoza; Iwan Sierant, Mykola Hoszowskyj and Wolodymyr Rasiak
New York

Dinner's purpose was not realized

Dear Editor:

In The Ukrainian Weekly of August 3, the president of the UCCA, Askold Lozynskyj, wrote a rebuttal to the editorial of July 20 that described the weak points of our community leaders' dinner with President Leonid Kuchma.

He expressed objections to the contents of the editorial and suggested that an apology is in order to those who participated in the dinner. It is a known fact that there is substantial support among the community for the editorial. The description of the event is factual and correct.

The dinner was planned collectively by the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and non-aligned organizations in order to meet with President Kuchma for the specific purpose of evaluating various problems facing Ukraine and what our community in America can do to render more effective assistance in areas that need most attention.

It is appropriate at this point to review the mechanism and concept of this dinner. The original concept called for a specific number of representatives from the above-mentioned organizations. There was an agreement among them that there would be 15 representatives from the UACC, 15 from the UCCA, 10 from the non-aligned organizations and about 20 from the delegation of Ukraine. This adds up to 60 persons; however, 94 persons were present at the dinner.

This change in prior agreement was made in the last two days without consultation with the UACC or the non-aligned organizations, which, by the way, kept their quotas of representatives unchanged.

Therefore, Mr. Lozynskyj, as one of the primary organizers of President Kuchma's dinner with the Ukrainian American community, should not be so critical of the facts printed in the editorial. The editorial definitely was not written in an arrogant manner, as stated by Mr. Lozynskyj, but merely presented the true picture of the event. It should be reiterated that the original concept of the meeting with President Kuchma was not honored by the UCCA and this contributed to the misunderstandings.

In retrospect it could be stated that these uncoordinated changes by the UCCA were detrimental to the dinner's noble intent and, as a result, the event's goal was not fully realized.

Joseph Trush
Union, N.J.

Congratulations on editorial

Dear Editor:

From the guests at the banquet and meeting with president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, at the Harvard Club on June 23, I learned of the unsuccessful handling of this event.

In relation to this I feel obligated to congratulate you for an accurate and truthful illumination of the banquet in your editorial (July 20).

Askold Lozynskyj's version in his reply to your report (August 3) requires condemnation of his total arrogance and very discourteous behavior.

Dr. Roman Baranowsky
Kerhonkson, N.Y.

| Home Page |